Twitched.

Well Wildwatchers, this month has been full of surprises.  I've seen a few lifers the last few weeks & even went on a twitch.  
For those not sure what I mean, twitching is when you hear of a rare bird and specifically travel to see it.  Completely different to bird watching, honestly. There is a whole discourse community to contend with within the wildlife geek world...

Anyway, in this case it was a male Mandarin Duck.  It was a gloomy, damp day but his tropical colouring shone vivid against the muddy coloured waters. He wasn't shy either, swimming close to the walkway desperate to have his picture taken. 


I wondered where he had come from. Why he was on his own, just hanging about with some Mallards, who were paring up all around him.  

Pairing & nesting is in full swing.  We went to Balgarvies Loch, a Scottish Wildlife Trust location to see if we could spot the Ospreys. 
We watched them gather sticks & attempt to fish. At one point a Cormorant got a little close to the nest area & paid the price of an Osprey dive bomb. You can just about spot a nesting Swan in the background, safe from the action. 

I also snagged a lift up to Fowlsheugh with two sound blokes in a van to see the sea bird colony.  It was a sunny, windy day & the cliffs were stacked with breeding birds. 
Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill & Puffin. 

I was even lucky enought to spot an egg! 
Its been pretty great here too, I spotted Black Cap & Sedge Warbler on my local patch for the first time. 

I've still been persevering with the local Beavers. Taking time to learn their behaviour.  Night after night attempting to locate where they emerge from, where they feed from & how they behave.  

Wildwatching isn't always easy. It takes time, effort & research to study the desired subject.  
The welfare of the animal or bird is always my top priority.  Many, many times I don't get the shot and that's OK.  It is about embracing my time in nature whilst learning & always respecting.


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